1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general relates to tools and, more particularly, to devices that remove and secure gloves and mittens.
There are numerous situations when a person who is wearing gloves (or mittens) has need to remove one or both of them for a period of time. Often, working with a glove or mitten does not afford a sufficient amount of dexterity and the use of the fingers and hands, unencumbered by the glove or mitten, is needed. Sometimes only one of the gloves or mittens must be removed. At other times both of them must be removed.
Usually, the glove or mitten is removed and placed on a table, in a coat pocket, or on the ground. Later, when the task is finished, the user may forget to reclaim the glove or mitten or it may become lost among other items. As such, the user finds that he has lost one or both of his gloves. Missing one of a pair of gloves renders the other useless, and so the loss is total.
Even when the location of the glove or mitten is known, the need to have it readily accessible for wear and quickly removable when needed is desirable. For example, a house painter may be applying caulking from a caulking gun. He may frequently need to remove a glove from one hand when he wishes to use a finger to smooth the caulk bead, for example, around a window pane.
The user, in this instance, does not want to have to store the glove in a coat pocket each time it is not needed and then remove it every time it is required for use. Neither does he want to leave it behind and have to retrace his steps to reclaim it.
Furthermore, there are many instances when the user cannot even use one of his hands to assist in removing the glove from the remaining hand. If, for example, the house painter is using one hand to hold himself secure to a ladder, he takes a risk if he releases his secure hold of the ladder to free up both hands, one hand from which the glove is to be removed and the other hand to aid in removing the glove.
A device that permits a user to remove a glove from his hand without using the other hand is needed. The glove that is being removed may be soiled, contaminated, covered with wet paint, or have a toxic substance on it. The user may wish to avoid any physical contact with the glove that is being removed. A surgeon, for example, may need to change protective gloves without compromising the sterility of his hands. Therefore, he cannot remove one glove (using the other gloved-hand) and then remove the remaining glove with his ungloved hand.
Similarly, a worker involved with toxic substance cleanup may not wish to touch a contaminated glove in order to remove it from his hand. Furthermore, the contaminated glove must be retained for later disposal. It cannot simply be tossed in the trash for disposal at a land fill. Therefore, the glove must be retained by the worker for a later, safe disposal.
Furthermore, there is vast range in the sizes of gloves and mittens. The material they are formed from, their intended use, and the size of the hand greatly affect the size, and therefore the thickness, of the glove or mitten. For example, large welding gloves intended to fit a large man""s hand will tend to be heavy, large, and thick whereas a gardening glove designed for use by a woman having small hands will tend to be much lighter and thinner. Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to readily remove and retain gloves or mittens of vastly different sizes.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a glove retaining device that is adapted to secure a glove or mitten and which permits removal of the glove or mitten without using the remaining hand.
Clearly, such an apparatus would be a useful and desirable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Gloves and mittens are, in general, known. Devices to secure articles of clothing are known, for example, coat hangers. The only known prior art to secure a glove or a mitten is a simulated hand, such as the hand of a mannequin, commonly found at department and clothing stores. While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, may have some distant similarities with the present invention, they differ in profound and material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to retain a glove or a mitten therein.
It is also an important object of the invention to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to retain a plurality of gloves or mittens therein.
Another object of the invention is to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to receive a hand that has a glove or mitten covering it.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to receive a hand that has a glove or mitten covering it and to retain the glove or mitten when the hand is removed from the device.
Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to receive a hand that has a glove or mitten covering it and to remove the glove or mitten from the hand when the hand is removed from the device.
Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to attach to a belt or clip onto a pair of trousers.
Still yet another important object of the invention is to provide a glove retaining device that allows easy removal of a glove or a mitten from the device.
Still yet one other important object of the invention is to provide a glove retaining device that is adapted to retain gloves or mittens of different size.
Briefly, a glove retaining device that is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention has a housing that includes a pair of parallel planar side walls that are disposed a predetermined distance apart from each other. A pair of arcuate members are attached to each of the side walls on the inside of the device. The arcuate members include a lower planar portion that is disposed in parallel planar alignment with respect to the side walls and is disposed a predetermined distance therefrom. A plurality of downward facing bristles are attached to each of the lower planar portions. The bristles of one arcuate member face the bristles of the remaining arcuate member. A foam spacer is disposed intermediate each arcuate member and each side wall. To use the device, a gloved hand is pushed down into the device, which has an open top and bottom. The bristles allow easy passage of the gloved hand into the device and the arcuate members compress the foam spacers to accommodate the gloved hand. Once the hand is sufficiently far in the device, its downward progress is stopped and the hand is withdrawn from the device in an opposite, upward direction. The foam spacers and the arcuate members urge the bristles into the glove sufficient to retain the glove as the hand is pulled upward, thereby removing the glove from the hand and retaining it in position in the device.